In this deep slash into the heart of the world, any sound—stones shifting or falling from far above, even the scrape of your feet against the gravel—echoes up the cliff walls for miles. Water drips from somewhere to create a dank atmosphere, droplets from some ancient river whose tears have traveled far into the dark. You’re not alone down here, for the telltale squeaks of bats chitter out from the innumerable branching caverns
